George Takei 'Saddened And Shocked' By The Boy Scouts Of America

6/18/2012 4:34pm EDT

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Gay actor George Takei is encouraging leaders of youth organization Boy Scouts of America to reform their current rules against accepting homosexual members.

Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell was ousted as an adult leader of her seven-year-old son's Bridgeport troop in April after bosses decided her sexual orientation "did not meet the high standards" set forth by the group. Her child Cruz was subsequently asked to leave the organization as well.

And now Star Trek veteran Takei, who was a Boy Scout in his younger years, is calling for change.

He will participate in New York City's 43rd annual LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride March, alongside Tyrrell, as part of a protest this coming weekend.

He tells the New York Daily News, "I was a Boy Scout, and I have wonderful memories of my Boy Scout days and we had no issues, like what has come up in recent times. I'm saddened and shocked by the policy the Boy Scouts have."

And the 75 year old is already looking forward to the event, adding, "The Boy Scouts are wrong in this case. She (Tyrrell) personifies all the best qualities of scouting. You got to stand up for what's right."